Chandigarh: The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for setting up 10 compressed biogas (CBG) projects and other new and renewable energy projects across the state.
The MoU was signed by chief executive officer PEDA Dr Amarpal Singh and executive director (bio-fuels and renewables) of HPCL Shuvendu Gupta here in the presence of Dr Ravi Bhagat, secretary, new and renewable energy sources department, Punjab.
State to explore possibilities to set up other renewable energy projects
Gupta said that HPCL would initially set up 10 CBG projects with an investment of about ₹600 crore while would also explore the possibilities to establish other new and renewable energy projects in the state. These 10 CBG plants are expected to produce over 35,000 ton of biogas (CBG) and about 8,700 ton of organic manure annually, besides generating revenue around ₹300 crore annually from the CBG production. The projects would also generate direct employment opportunities for more than 600 persons and about 1,500 indirect employment.
Projects to generate employment
Dr Amarpal Singh said that with implementation of these 10 projects, at least 2.75 lakh ton paddy straw would be prevented from being burnt at about 1.10 lakh acres. The annual prevention of CO2 emissions and other pollutants would be about 5 lakh ton which was equivalent to planting 83,000 trees annually. The projects would also create around 50 rural entrepreneurs for supply of paddy straw to these plants further creating employment for more than 500 persons to be employed by these rural entrepreneurs.
Inviting other CBG developers for investment in the state, state new and renewable energy sources minister Aman Arora said that Punjab was an agrarian state with an immense potential for crop residue based CBG projects.
